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Overcharged

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything always balanced the way it’s supposed to? What could be simpler than: see a doctor, pay the co-pay, check the EOB when it arrives, then pay the outstanding balance?

I’m pretty good at keeping track of most of my medical expenses, but the PT bill is another matter. There are multiple lines detailing what was done at every visit, plus multiple lines explaining the insurance payment and write-off, with a final “here’s what you owe” number that should match my EOB. It’s not unusual for a monthly billing statement to be eight pages long. It’s mind-numbing to wade through all the detail; I’ve usually just glanced at it, scribbled “pay this” on the envelope, and passed it along to my husband for payment.*

Not a good idea.

Yesterday I sat down with the stack of paid bills to sort them out (and test a program I’ve been slowly working on in my spare time), and discovered two appointments which were listed on two subsequent bills – we paid twice.

A quick phone call to the billing office with a request for our account history was all it took. That simple request spurred them to look at the account, and along with the dozen pages they sent (yeah! e-mail) was a note that they’re sending a refund for our overpayment.

Now to finish my database so this doesn’t happen again!

______________ *DH has a fabulous system for paying all the bills when they’re due – neither early nor late. He pays all the bills, but I track all the EOBs and medical expenses, so I approve mark them when they’re accurate so he knows they’re okay to pay (or I phone for corrections when they’re inaccurate and make the appropriate notations so he knows that, too).